INFORMAL SURVEY OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM REPRESENTATIVES ON COLLEGE OR
UNIVERSITY STATISTICS COURSE REQUIREMENTS

W. J. Padgett
University of South Carolina

Newsletter for the Section on Statistical Education
Volume 3, Number 1 (Winter 1997)

It has been a concern of mine for a number of years that many undergraduate
majors in the physical and natural sciences in our College of Science and
Mathematics are not required to take even an elementary course in statistics,
especially since analysis of experimental data is the basis for scientific
investigation. It is at least as important for undergraduates in the sciences
to understand the basic concepts of statistics as it is to have knowledge of
basic mathematics and computing. As H.G. Wells predicted more than forty years
ago, statistical thinking is as important as reading, writing and basic
mathematics. The CEO of ALCOA, Paul O'Neill, also indicated this recently when
he stated that individuals who have gained a basic knowledge of statistics have
a definite advantage when applying for their first jobs in modern companies.
Business schools certainly recognize this and typically require a basic
statistics course for graduation.

Recently, I approached the Dean and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate
Studies in our College about instituting a statistics requirement for all of
our undergraduate majors. It was suggested that I try to find out what
universities with similar colleges (arts and sciences, sciences, liberal arts
and science, etc.) have such a requirement. I sent a request for information
on such requirements to the e-mail alias list for the ASA Academic Program
Representatives
(stat-acad-reps@stat.sc.edu), which has approximately 105 statistics programs represented.
Eventually, 46 responses were received concerning statistics requirements at
the respective institutions. The results of this informal survey were quite
mixed, with only five institutions having a college-wide requirement among
colleges other than business administration. Further, only five institutions
have a statistics requirement for all or almost all undergraduate students.
Listed below are five general categories for the responses received.

Therefore, it is not widely accepted that statistics should be a mandatory
part of a core undergraduate curriculum, even for science students. In order
for college graduates to be statistically literate going into the next century,
perhaps it is time for statisticians nationwide to strive for the addition of a
statistics requirement for all undergraduate students. It is as important for
educated people to understand basic statistical thinking as it is to be
mathematically and computer literate, or to have a knowledge of a foreign
language and possess good communication skills.

A similar question on quantitative requirements was earlier posed to a
group of "isolated statisticians" by Allan Rossman of Dickinson College. A
report on the results of that query can be obtained from him. He may be
contacted at the Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dickinson College,
P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle PA 17013-2896; rossman@dickinson.edu.